Johnny Mercyside

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Saturday, November 05, 2005

Hallo everyone, these posts will probably continue to be late for a while,
but hopefully all will be well soon. Here's a review I did in 2005, it's a
decent one I think. Just in case you didn't know, my daughter, Vivi, was named
after a character in this game. Enjoy.

"If you love the others, more than likely you will love
this."

Introduction

Final Fantasy IX was the last Final Fantasy to be released
on the Playstation, after switching from the Super Nintendo in 1997. After
great success from Final Fantasy VII and VIII, Final Fantasy IX had very high
expectations. Many believe IX to be disappointing, where as others believe it
to be better than both its successors. Here is what I think.

Gameplay

Comparing IX to the previous Playstation releases, IX is a
very moody game. The gameplay feels very negative, as there is a great
structure around the gameplay. This may sound good; however, if you bring it to
a duel between you and the computer, the advantages are greatly on the
computer. In both previous Final Fantasies, there were many high chances of
exceeding a 9999HP damage limit. Considering in the entire summons (bar the
final summon in VIII) the maximum damage you can give or take is 9999, you
could exceed this amount by combo attacking (specifically in limit breaks by
both main characters). This is completely taken away in Final Fantasy IX. The
odds are against you, because not only is it hard to actually gain maximum
damage, you cannot create ways to exceed it. In the final stages of the game,
many of the bosses will damage you multiply with almost maximum damage. This
factor means there is a far higher difficulty level involved, which puts some
of the lighter players right off, as this structure cannot be broken.

In VIII, there were six main characters. This has been
increased to eight, and as always, these are eight strongly created characters,
with their own personalities and opinions. As in most FF games, this game has
some of the greatest characters from gaming history, from the lady-loving
Zidane, to the all-so cute Vivi, to the stupidly dopey Steiner.

A new addition to IX is the approach of having four members
fighting at the same time, a feature that has not been used in a Final Fantasy
game since 1994's Final Fantasy VI. The fact that four members fighting instead
of three makes fighting a lot more complex, giving you many strategies to create
and many techniques to experiment.

Like most FF games, you build your characters by level, and
learning abilities. In Final Fantasy VII materia was used to learn magic spells
and abilities, where as Guardian Forces were used to learn abilities in VIII.
In IX, your abilities are learned by your equipment. By equipping a weapon,
shield, etc, some characters can use certain abilities with that item. If your
character equips items with that certain ability for a certain period of time,
the character can use the ability without equipping that item. Each item has
different abilities that can learn one character an ability, where as if you
equip that item to someone else, they may not be able to learn it at all. So it
is basically mixing equipment around to make all your characters learn their
abilities. That is not all though. Each character has each own set of “Magic
Stones”, which a certain amount is needed to actually use that ability during
battle. This means that it does not matter if your character has learnt every
ability for him/her to learn, he can only equip few into battle, depending on
how many magic stones are needed for it to be used. So a lot is going on in the
preparing side of IX.

Mentioning limit breaks above, this has been cancelled from
IX, and replaced with a “Trance”. Like Final Fantasy VII's Limit Break, you
have Trance gauge that will build up as you get attacked. Trance powers up your
character, many in different ways, for example your mages can use double the
magic in one go. One character can deliver two to three times more damage than
usual. Each character has their own unique skills and trance develops these
skills into better ones. However, a huge downfall on this side is the fact that
if you do not use your Trance before the end of the battle, it cancels and will
make the whole process a complete waste of time, which frustrate us FF fans off
big time, trust me.

As mentioned, each character has each own unique skills.
Some are mages, others can throw special weapons at their enemies, and others
can perform dragoon skills. Another big downfall to IX is the main character;
Zidane has a very small unique skill. Zidane is a thief, and like Final Fantasy
VI before it, “stealing” items off enemies is not as great as magic usage,
summoning, and knight skills. Zidane's stealing ability becomes essential in
some boss battles, as the majority of bosses in the game possess great items,
which are very helpful to steal. And because these items are good, stealing can
become a pain, as the harder to steal items can become VERY hard to steal. You
can be there for an hour, literally, trying to steal just one item off a boss,
before killing him by mistake. Once again, this does frustrate a lot of people
off, and puts them off the game completely.

On the whole, the gameplay is great. The use of four
characters over three was a great hype, and it delivered very well. Two big
downfalls as mentioned bring the game down, however on the whole, the gameplay
is magnificent, and battles can be fun. At most times…

Gameplay: 9/10

Story

There is no doubt that Final Fantasy IX's story is far from
amazing. From six main characters in Final Fantasy VIII, it has been increased
to eight. This to some people might mean that there is less concentration on
the characters; however it does blend in with the gameplay very well. There at
least two main scenes concentrated at one character throughout the game.

The main character is Zidane, who is a thief with his fellow
“brothers” of Tantalus. Tantalus has been set a job to do, and that job is to
kidnap the princess of the big city of Alexandria. However, the story is a lot
more complex than that, because for some reason, the princess Garnet actually
wants to be kidnapped. The meeting of Zidane and Garnet will change the world
of Gaia forever. Want to know more? Play the game. In my opinion FF8 the
characters stories build up slowly, and are actually rather stale in the first
disk. This is not the case in IX, as the first four characters you get are
concentrated on right from the beginning. The four characters you get further
on in the game are not as concentrated as deep as the first four, but every
characters feelings and emotions are expressed realistically throughout the
game.

Story: 10/10

Graphics

Generally, the graphics on FFIX are not as impressive as in
Final Fantasy VIII. The FMV's featured are just as mind blowing however. I
believe that FF8 contains the best graphics on the Playstation console, and to
come from FF8 with high hopes for FF9, there is a little disappointment with
the graphics Final Fantasy IX's FMV's are just as good as in FF8's, however,
smooth graphics of Final Fantasy 8's gameplay possibly feels decreased in IX.
The character models do not look completely human anymore, they look like
midget people (not that I have a problem against midgets…). As Final Fantasy
VIII had very tall figures, IX's modelling system has made the characters a lot
smaller, and sometimes these smaller figures are not as much as a standout in
the game as IX. Nevertheless the graphics are really good, but not an
improvement from its predecessor.

Graphics: 9/10

Sound

I am sure a lot of people will disagree with me, but I think
that Final Fantasy IX's sound is possibly the best in the whole series. It is
at least par with Final Fantasy VII, which in many ways considered the best
title in the series. Some of the music is simply amazing, and I think a lot of
the sound and game music cannot be improved in any way whatsoever. Final
Fantasy IX contains a complete perfect score in my eyes.

Sound: 10/10

Controls

The controls in this game have improved from Final Fantasy
VIII. The main controls are blended with the gameplay perfectly, and sometimes
there are certain mini games that require great use of the control pad. If
there is any dislike with the controls, they can be adjusted in the “Config”
menu anyway. The controls in my opinion cannot be improved, and there is a nice
use of the buttons throughout the whole game.

Controls: 10/10

Extras

The side quests are once again brilliant in Final Fantasy
IX. There is possibly less side quests than that there was in VIII, however
each one is enjoyable… almost. There are some huge side quests featured in the
game that are rather pathetic. One example of this is a side quest that
requires you to get to the end of the game within a time limit. This side quest
is EXTREMELY difficult to accomplish, and it can be very frustrating to do, as
the further you get in the game, your characters have very low levels, and
bosses can do damage that can cleanly sweep your whole party in one move.
However the majority of the side quests are great, time worthy and enjoyable,
it is just that one or two are pathetically difficult or just plain boring and
possibly pointless.

Extras: 9/10

Challenge

Final Fantasy IX is a very difficult game. It is a lot more
difficult than Final Fantasy VIII, and this is actually a good thing. As I said
in the Gameplay section, there is not much chance of exceeding 9999HP damage,
which in FF7 and FF8 was possible. This makes the game a whole lot more
difficult, and more of a challenge for the player.

Challenge 10/10

Replay

Replay value??? It is amazing. Like every other, you would
probably want to play this game again. Complete it, then give it a year or two,
and the rush to play the game again will be back. I think I have said enough.

Replay: 10/10

Overall

Overall, this is a brilliant game. There is a lot of amazing
things in Final Fantasy IX; however there are few flaws too. The flaws can
annoy you and make you want to punch the wall, however in the end you can
forgive Square and tell them thank you for making once again a classic piece of
gameness. Hey, it is Final Fantasy. If you love the others, more than likely
you will love this. For people who have never played a Final Fantasy, this is a
decent game to get started with. However possibly the best to properly begin
your collection with would be VII, and if you enjoy that, get this. It is well
worth the money and will be a game you will play and keep for years. Rent or
buy? If you have played another FF title in the series, I would say buy. If you
have never played a FF game before, then I would rent to be on the safe side.
Final Fantasy is not for everyone, but it is highly respected.

Overall: 77/80 = 96% = 10/10

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Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Hello everyone, I said yesterday most of my stuff that I have written in the
past has now disappeared off the internet. Most of it that is. But I do have
some reviews on GameFAQs, and if I look hard enough, I might be able to find
some music reviews too. But for now, I'd like to bring you a review I did on
Pokemon Gold and Silver, that I wrote when I was 16. Enjoy.

"Pokemon GnS are great games to play if you are on the
road with your Game Boy Color, with no console around."

Introduction

Pokemon was a huge franchise in the late nineties. Pokemon
had its own T.V. series, cards, movies and games. After Pokemon Red and Blue
came out on the Game Boy in 1996/97, Nintendo had its most successful
money-maker since Super Mario. The Game Boy was probably the oldest game system
that was STILL selling games over ten years later. However the Game Boy had to
meet its end someday, and a new Game Boy came out. The Game Boy Color came out
in 1998/99, along with new games now in colour. As Pokemon was possibly the
best selling Game Boy game ever, colour versions were made for the new game
system. The games were called Pokemon Gold and Silver.

Before I begin, Pokemon Gold and Silver (along with Red and
Blue) are two games that are generally the same. The only difference between
the two is that certain Pokemon (mystical creatures that can be used as pets or
for duelling) can only be found on one game. Certain Pokemon from the Gold
version cannot be caught on the Silver version, and vice versa.

Gameplay

Pretty much exactly the same as the Red and Blue versions.
Gold and Silver (now being abbreviated to GnS), basically concentrates on one
person, a little boy of your choice in name who is starting his journey to
become the Pokemon master. You go around from city to city, battling Pokemon
trainers and villains and getting gym badges from eight (or sixteen) major
cities around the world. After getting all eight gym badges, your little fellow
can challenge the Elite Four, the apparent test to prove if you are the best
Pokemon trainer in the world.

Each Pokemon (a total of over 250, a bigger number from the
original Red and Blue versions, which only had 151) has its own moves, types
and advantages as well as disadvantages. You can carry a total of six Pokemon
at a time, so considering there is a huge choice of over 250 Pokemon, there is
also a good strategy involved in what Pokemon to bring. The strategies don't
just end there, as each Pokemon can only carry up to four moves, and a good
selection of moves can be learnt as your Pokemon grows stronger. Also HMs and
TMs (items that can automatically teach Pokemon moves) are featured in the
game, and certain HMs and TMs can only be used on a certain fraction of the
Pokemon in the game. So there is a lot of planning involved in this game, and it's
fun choosing what Pokemon to use and what moves to give them. Also like the
majority of RPGs, Pokemon uses the experience system to level up their Pokemon.

As previously mentioned, the gameplay is pretty much the
same as Red and Blue. However it's the same thing, and a little more. There are
a few new features involved in the game. The first and most important is the
time. You can actually set a time to the game, and set it exactly to the time
in your part of the world, and play the game in time with your environment. Or
you can set the time to a different time to the real time, it's up to you. The
time in the game affects the gameplay a lot, there are secrets and special
events that only occur on certain days or/and at certain times. Different
Pokemon are around at different times, for example, a HootHoot is an owl
Pokemon, and can only be caught at the night time. The time makes the gameplay
that much more exciting and strategic.

Another addition to the game is the Pokegear system. Your
Pokegear is basically everything you own, in Red and Blue you had your backpack
which could hold up to twenty items (if I'm correct… I might need to check into
that) which includes Pokeballs, HMs, TMs, and items. Your Pokegear however
splits this up into different parts of the backpack, so there is a section for
Pokeballs, a section for HMs and TMs, a section for key items and a section for
your normal use items. This is a nice little improvement to the game, which
helps cure for the limited item storage that was a pain in the previous games.
Also featured is a Phone book, which can store numbers of important people and
Pokemon trainers you have previously fought. Sometimes old trainers might want
to have a rematch, or they might want to just have a chat. Also sometimes if a
rare Pokemon appears around their area in a swarm, they will tell you about it,
which can be helpful for catching a Pokemon that was not easy to find in that
area previously.

To conclude the review on the gameplay, the gameplay is
great on GnS, and a large improvement has been made from the previous series.
There isn't much bad to say about the gameplay, other than it may become rather
tedious after a while. Gameplay: 9/10

Story

The main disadvantage of the Pokemon games is exactly this.
There is NO story involved. There is a storyline, but no story, there is no
filler involved. Basically you control a boy who wants to become the Pokemon
master, catching all the Pokemon, defeat your rival and eliminate Team Rocket.
Other than that, there is nothing surrounding the storyline at all. However, to
be fair the game does succeed without a story. The fact that there is very
little story around makes the game a lot more for kids rather than adults,
which is a good thing. A story can put the little kids off, as it may become
too complicated to follow for someone at such a young age. It's hard to rate
the story, but this is the best I can rate. Story: 7/10

Graphics

2D Game Boy graphics is what Pokemon suits best. The
graphics are far from amazing, the Game Boy Color is no computer console, it's
a handheld system. For Game Boy Color graphics, the graphics in GnS are top
notch. However if you compare them to a game that came out at a similar time,
(for instance, Final Fantasy IX) the graphics are terrible. For what it's
worth, I will rate the graphics in between the two points above. In a positive
way of reviewing, the colour use in the game is used well, and adding colour to
a Pokemon game was well worth it. Graphics: 8/10

Sound

The sound in the game is very similar to the previous games.
The sound of the Game Boy and Game Boy Color games can be very irritating, as
the music is very high pitched, simple, and repetitive. There are a few decent
tunes in GnS, and for a GBC game, it's decent. Sound: 8/10

Controls

There are only four buttons involved on a GBC system, and
GnS uses the buttons well. The controls are simple and easy to use. There are
no flaws involved with the controls for the game. Controls: 10/10

E

xtras

The best thing about a Pokemon game is the rush to “Catch
‘em all”. Catching all the Pokemon in the game is an extremely long and fun
journey to do. The fact that there is about 100 more Pokemon to catch in the
game makes the game all that better. My proper opinion on the increasing number
of Pokemon in the series, is positive, but goes no further from here. In the
first two games, Red and Blue had 151 Pokemon, and the game was great. In this
set of games, an extra 100ish Pokemon were added, and this was also good.
However Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire (the two games for the next handheld Game
Boy) added an extra 130ish, making the total to 380 or so. This in my opinion
is going too far, and makes the game a lot more tedious. However back onto GnS,
the main extra involved is catching all the Pokemon, and is a great side-quest
to conquer. Also battling your Pokemon with other players (via Link Cable) is
always fun, as well as trading Pokemon. There is a lot going on in the game
that will keep you playing for hours. Extras: 10/10

Challenge

The Pokemon games are generally rather easy, if you know
what you're doing. There are no limits to the difficulty however, as the
Pokemon you decide to use can either “suck” or “rule”. The difficulty is
completely up to you, depending on what Pokemon you use and how well you can
use them. The challenge is varied so there is nothing wrong with that.
Challenge: 10/10

R

eplay

Well you might play this once, and keep the game saved. Once
you have everything done, the best thing to do then is most definitely battling
your Pokemon with your friends. I have mixed feelings other than the point
above about the replay value. You might want to play through the game again, or
you might want to keep your game once in completion. The game is great, but
after going through it once there is not much filler involved that will
definitely make you want to play through the game again. Still you might want
to, it depends on the person really. Replay: 8/10

Overall

This is a great set of games, and probably my favourite of
the three sets Nintendo have brought out. If the games came out in the early
nineties, the games would mean perfection. However the games came out in 1999,
and there are far bigger and better games to play out there. If they somehow could
make a decent 3D version for the Gamecube or something, then this game would be
amazing. However, Nintendo generally fail to produce a good 3D Pokemon game, as
in my opinion Pokemon Stadium and others were nowhere near as good as the Game
Boy games, despite the 2D blocked graphics that are involved. Pokemon GnS are
great games to play if you are on the road with your Game Boy Color, with no
console around. At home however there are better RPGs around that can outdo the
Pokemon games. On the whole the games are great, but not the best. Overall:
70/80 = 88% = 9/10

Obviously it's not the best review in the world, I think if
I were to re-review the game it would be a much crisper review. But I was
sixteen at the time. Any compliments or criticism are appreciated. I'd also
like to say please vote on my poll, I'd like a bit of feedback. Have a good
day.

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